Hand-protector.



No. 686,339. Patehted Nov. l2, mm.

B. A. RITCHIE.

HAND PROTECTOR.

(Agplication filed July 6, 1901.,

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT A. RITCHIE, oF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

HAND-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,339, dated November12, 1901.

Application filed July 6, 1901- Serial No. 67,290. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. RITCHIE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand-Protectors,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to safety appliances for the protection of personsoperating woodworking machinery; and its object is to provide meanswhereby the danger of accident to the hands in certain woodworkingoperations may be greatly lessened or entirely avoided.

In operating machines of the buzz-planer type the material to be treatedis held down upon the machine-table by the pressure of the hands, andthus fed across the rapidly-revolving knives operating on the under faceof the material. Accidents to the hands are of fre quent occurrence. Iwill describe the invention as used on a machine of this type.

It consists ofa flat body portion adapted to lie upon the upper face ofthe board or other piece to be treated, having a depending flange at therear adapted to engage the rear edge of the board and a handle on theupper face by which it may be firmly grasped and held, and the boardthus traversed across the knives. I prefer to make the engaging edge ofthe flange with teeth or points adapted to slightly enter and securelyengage the wood, and in the most complete form of the invention Iprovide an adjustable toothed plate for this purpose arranged to be setand firmly held at any desired distance below the lower face of thebody, and thus condition the device for varying thicknesses of material.

The invention also consists in certain details of construction andarrangement of parts to be hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show theinvention as I have carried it out.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, showing the mode ofoperation on a planer. The remaining figures are on a larger scale. Fig.2 isa top or plan view of the protector alone, and Fig. 3 is acorresponding view of the under face. Fig. 4. is a vertical sectiontaken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a corresponding end orrear view. Fig. 6 is as rectangular in plan and preferably of cast- Iiron, having the forward part of the under surface plane and provided atthe rear with a transverse lug or downwardly-projecting flange A. Thebody is stifiened on the upper face by the marginal ribs A and isprovided with two parallel longitudinal ribs A A lower than the sidesand adapted to receive between them a handle B, preferably of wood andanalogous to a plane-handle. The handle is held in place by the screwsBB inserted from below and having their heads received in correspondingcountersunk recesses a a.

C is a plate of steel bent to nearly a right angle transversely uponitself, forming the flange C, the forward edge of which is toothed, asshown, and beveled forward and downward. The upright portion 0 of theplate is provided with two vertical slots 0 0, through which extendsscrews D D, received in correspondingly-tapped holes in the rear of thebody. r

In using the protector it is applied upon the upper face of the boardwith the flange A and plate 0 G overhanging its rear edge. The operatorgrasps the handle B and slides the protector forward by a quickmovement, embedding the teeth in the rear edge and insuring firmengagement. The board is then moved along the planer-table M (seeFig. 1) and forced across the revolving knives (indicated at M) asusual, but with the hand of the operator well above and away from theknives. The handle 13 being well forward insures that the hand shallhave passed beyond the knives before the rear edge of the board reachesthem. It will be observed that the toothed portion of the plate inclinesslightly forward and downward, and the bevel of the teeth 0 is in asimilar direction. This construction tends to increase the firmness ofthe engagement by inducing a pressure between the teeth and body at therear part of the board corresponding to the advance of the teeth intotheedge thereof.

My experiments show that an operator with my protector can work betterand faster than under the common method, for the reason that the graspon the material is firmer, especially in treating small pieces, and alsobecause of increased confidence and absence of nervous fear of accident.

Modifications may be 'made in the forms and proportions within widelimits. The form of handle and mode of attaching are not important. Itmay be cast in one with the body, if preferred.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a construction in which the body A* is similar to'theform shown in the earlier figures; but the toothed plate (3* is securedby screws D* directly to the under face of the flange. The upper ends ofthe screws protrude through the body and are riveted or headed on theupper face thereof. This modification is cheaper to manufacture than theform first described and has an additional advantage in that danger ofthe toothed plate becoming loosened is avoided, and consequentlyliability of accident by the fall of the plate into the knives islessened. The teeth may be formed directly upon the flange A or may bepins inset on its front face. Although I have described the body as ofcast-iron, it will be understood that any metal or other suitablematerial, as hard wood, may

serve.

The n ndcr face of the body may be roughened to increase the frictionalgrasp upon the surface of the board. I do not consider such rougheningto be generally necessary or desirable.

I claim- 1. In a device of the character set forth, a body portionhaving a plane under face adapted to lie upon the surface of the pieceto be treated, a handle on the upper face, and a downwardly-projectingportion at the rear of said body extending below the plane of said underface and in rear of said handle adapted to engage the rear edge of saidpiece, all combined and arranged to serve substantially as hereinspecified.

2. In a device of the character set forth, a body portion having itsunder face adapted to lie upon the surface of the piece to be treated, ahandle on the upper face, a downwardly-projecting portion at the rear ofsaid body, and a series of teeth on said projecting portion adapted toengage the rear edge of said piece, all combined substantially as hereinspecified.

3. In a device of the character set forth, a body portion having itsunder face adapted to lie upon the surface of the piece to be treated, ahandle on the upper face, a down- Wardly-projecting portion at the rearof said body, and a plate secured to said body and having a series offorwardly-projecting teeth below the under face of said body adapted toengage the rear edge of said piece, all combined substantially as hereinspecified.

4. In a device of the character set forth, a body portion having itsunder face adapted to lie upon the surface of the piece to be treated, ahandle on the upper face, a downwardly-projecting portion at the rear ofsaid body, and a plate adjustably secured to the rear of said body andhaving a forwardlyprojecting toothed portion below the under face ofsaid body adapted to engage the rear edge of said piece, all combinedsubstantially as herein specified.

5. The body A, handle B on the upper face thereof, thedownwardly-projecting portion A on the under face of said body at therear, in combination with the bent plate 0 O and teeth 0 thereon, andthe screws D D received in slots 0 c in said plate and serving to adjustthe latter, all substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT A. RITCHIE.

Witnesses:

EDWIN GOULD, CHARLES R. SEARLE.

